Concrete Ritual: For Audre Lorde's 79th Birthday

Poem and performance by Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Video and sound by Julia Roxanne Wallace.
Inspired? Participate in our virtual performance: http://www.alexispauline.com/brillianceremastered/2012/10/23/need-a-cyber-performance-ritual-for-community-accountable-scholars/

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Cations by Building Radical Accessible Communities Everywhere's Radical Access Mapping Project
http://radicalaccessiblecommunities.wordpress.com/subtitled-videos/

""to make love to concrete…
you need
to become a light rope a hammer
a repeatable bridge…
between forgiving too easily
and never giving at all."
-Audre Lorde
i.

we live in the universe
and energy transforms
and how it does matters
and I am an unprovokable peace
I am a warrior walking
with a belt of ocean shells
my love is so predestined you can hear it coming
so deep you cannot startle it out
it is already all I hear

ii.
make love

love is something we make
not something you take
love is something we make
fist sized factory of my heart
pumping all night in tandem with each of you
love is something we make
not something we take
lying down

iii.
repeatable bridge

this is where I would sit
a patch of grass over brick
suspended across Amsterdam ave
and I would watch
all the lights turn red
stop
turn green. go.
rush through turn yellow anything could happen
breathe
turn red. Stop

turn green. Go.
Until I could feel my lungs
Hands to the grass.
Lights change
Ahead and behind.
Breathe stop go believe
that concrete will hold you

iv.

light rope

this is how you walk after
this is how you walk home
one inhale
keep moving two
your legs remember
when learning to walk
was learning to fall
when the forward you knew
was greater than your fear
your legs remember go
this is how you walk after
tracing light
electric home
shock absorbed
heart sore
your legs remember
walk home

v.
jack hammer breakthrough
this is the city
never finished build
no one can hear
my feet breaking tunnel
deeper than train
my untrained feet
remembering drum

jackhammer
sledge walk
this is how I melt
my bones titanium
this is how I stay
too soft to break

dig home
sweet chariot
sneaker pulse to carry me home
sneak home wonder woman lariat
walking like the meters of a poem.

vi.
between

one day you will dance again
you are dancing now
one day you will shake in samba confidence
wake up black earth
one day you will dance
you are dancing right now
you exist to a rhythm
we all love and need
love is something you make
even in your sleep
you always have enough
walking home

Give (a coda)

give ankles to uncle
give wrists to rice
give fire back to dragon
give love

give nina back the rising sun
billie back brackish water
give the abacus bay to Abbey
you are done

give all this reaching hair the sky
give open hands give open eyes
give trust trampled trodden tried
give it up give love give all of it

love is something we make
not take
love is something we make
and give
love is something we make
not take

love it what we make
and live
love is something we make we make
we dance we break
we walk until we fly"

"To make love

to concrete

you need to become a light

rope

a hammer

a repeatable bridge

between forgiving too easily

and never giving at all."

- Audre Lorde.

We live in the universe

and energy transforms

and how it does

matters

I am an unprovokable peace

I am a warrior walking

with a belt of ocean shells.

my love is so pre-destined

you can hear it coming;

so deep

you cannot startle it out.

It is already all I hear.

Make love.

Love is something we make

not something you take.

Love is something we make.

Fist-sized factory of my heart,

pumping all night in tandem with each of you.

Love is something we make,

not something we take lying down.

This is where I would sit...

on a patch of grass over brick

suspended across Amsterdam Ave.

and watch all the lights turn red.

stop.

turn green.

go.

turn yellow.

Rush through,

anything could happen,

breathe.

turn red.

STOP!

turn green.

Go.

Go.

Until I could feel my lungs,

hands to the grass,

lights changing,

ahead and behind.

Breathe.

Stop.

Go.

believe

that concrete will hold you.

This is how you walk after,

this is how you walk home,

one, inhale

two, keep moving,

your legs remember

when learning to walk was learning to fall

when the forward you knew

was greater than your fear

your legs remember,

go.

This is how you walk after

tracing light electric home,

shock absorbed heart sore

your legs remember

walk. home.

Hammer.

This is a city never finish build.

No one can hear my feet
breaking tunnel deeper than train,

my untrained feet remembering drum.

Jackhammer.

Sledge walk.

This is how I melt my bones titanium,

this is how I stay too soft to break.

dig home, sweet chariot,

sneaker pulse to carry me home

sneak home, wonder woman lariat,

walking like the metres of a poem

between

one day you willl dance again

you are dancing right now

one day you will shake in samba confidence

wake up black earth

one day you will dance again.

one day, you will dance again.

you are dancing right now.

you exist to a rhythm we all love

and need

love is something you make

even in your sleep.

there is always enough

walking home

give

give ankles to uncle

give wrist to rice

give fire back to dragon

give love.

Give Nina back the rising sun

give Billie back brackish water

give the abacus back to Abbey

you are done.

give all this reaching hair the sky

give open hands

give open eyes

give trust

trampled

trodden

tried

give it up

give love

give all of it

love is something we make

not take

love is something we make to live

love is something we make

we make

we dance

we break

we walk

until we fly.